Migrant boat capsizes off the Dominican Republic, killing at least 18

Migrant boat capsizes off the Dominican Republic, killing at least 18

2012-02-06 22:04:26 GMT+7 (ICT)

SABANA DE LA MAR, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC (BNO NEWS) -- The death toll after a migrant boat capsized off the eastern coast of the Dominican Republic over the weekend has risen to at least 18, officials said on Monday.

The accident happened on early Saturday morning when the boat capsized off Sabana de la Mar, a municipality located in the country's Hato Mayor Province, about 154 kilometers (95 miles) from the capital Santo Domingo.

Regional Navy colonel Hector Ramon Mendez said emergency teams were deployed to the region after a survivor reached the coast. It remains unclear how many people were on board, but officials said the boat was carrying at least 70 people after picking up 40 passengers in the municipality of Sanchez and 30 others elsewhere.

As of early Monday morning, search and rescue crews had found 19 survivors while the bodies of 12 men and six women were pulled out from the sea. The death toll is expected to rise further as dozens more remain missing and are feared to have drowned.

According to one of the survivors, passengers paid around 50,000 pesos ($1,300) to board the migrant ship, which was heading toward the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico when it capsized on Saturday morning. Most of the passengers were Dominicans, although some of them may have been from Haiti and Cuba.

Other survivors told local media reporters that the ship may have also been carrying drugs and weapons. They said the captain of the ship had remained hooded during the trip.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2012-02-06